Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sunday Dinner, October 11, 2009

Well, I've procrastinated long enough. I've got my cup of hot Earl Grey tea and my snuggly fleece throw over my feet and legs to ward off the delicious Fall chill in the air and it's time to get down to the business of this Sunday's Dinner.

Today has been cool and overcast. Our low for Saturday morning was down into the low 40'sF and the high today was in the mid-50'sF. I love this kind of day and took full advantage of it by doing a little reading and playing on my laptop and not much else.

I did make a simple supper of scrambled fresh eggs that were given to us by a neighbor, and also fried some smoked sausage to accompany them. Other than that I haven't done anything that could be considered constructive.

My lazy day was one reason I've put off writing this post.

Another is the fact that my guest list for Sunday Dinner is hanging in limbo, and I don't deal very well with uncertainty when it comes to cooking a meal. I like it much better when I know exactly how many I need to feed, whether it's just me and Lamar or a crowd of 25.

I promise I'm getting to the point. Like right now.

I bought a 5 lb. beef tip roast at $1.98/lb. at Wal*mart Supercenter when I did my grocery shopping last week. I cut it up into 2 smaller roasts to cook for me and Lamar, and cut the rest of it up into stew meat.

We had beef roast with potatoes cooked with it and gravy made from the roast juices for supper Friday night. I still have another roast to cook for later, and 3 packages of stew meat in the freezer for later meals. Each will yield a meal with the meat costing about $2 per meal. Not bad for beef in this day and time.

I'm going to cook a package of the stew meat tonight. When I get home from church tomorrow I'll heat up the stew meat and broth and make some simple homemade egg noodles to add to it. According to how many are here for Sunday Dinner I'll adjust the amount of noodles I make.

I've been craving fried cabbage so I'll fix the appropriate amount of that when I get home. It only takes about 15 minutes to cut up the cabbage, fry it fast and hot in a little oil to brown it, then add a couple of tablespoons of water, salt and pepper to it and cover it to steam for a bit.

I have garden green beans in the freezer and I also have some canned green beans, so I may take the more convenient route tomorrow and just heat up some canned green beans.

That's the menu for La Casa de Jennings tomorrow: Homemade beef and noodles, fried cabbage, and green beans, with portions adjusted to accommodate the number of guests to be served.

What's on the menu at your place this week? Just give a shout out in the comments to participate.I am thoroughly enjoying our cool Fall weather. It's rained 5 out of the last 7 days, and the coming week promises more of the same. I don't mind the rain as long as it doesn't flood and get into the apartment, which it's never done, so I'm good in that respect, but area farmers have an entirely different perspective regarding the cool, rainy weather.

Most years by the middle of October well over half the cotton, soybeans, rice, corn, milo and other crops have been harvested, but not this year. There are 2 cotton gins just a stone's throw from my apartment and they have yet to run for the first time this year.

This has been a weird, strange year for weather and crops. A cold, wet Spring and early Summer meant crops were planted late, and then June set records for heat and drought. July through the present has been much cooler and wetter than average, so crops are at least a month behind schedule in maturing.

And even for the crops that have managed to mature, it's been so wet that farmers can't get into the fields to harvest.The cool weather has varying effects on how I feel. I love the cool weather, but add rain and storms to the mix and it tends to make my arthritis more painful. I want to do more, but my arthritis really protests when I try to do too much.

So this week has run the gamut of lots of productivity to getting almost nothing at all accomplished.

I have problems with pacing myself. When I feel reasonably well I tend to push myself and work until I can't go any more. Then I end up hurting and don't feel like doing anything at all.

So I'm usually either working like a fiend or sitting on my prodigious rump. I don't have much middle ground when it comes to activity, it seems.

Here's hoping that I can find some equilibrium and manage to get some things done around the apartment this week while still remembering to take time to rest as needed. Since it's supposed to rain most of this coming week I should have plenty of opportunity to work and rest in the appropriate proportions.Y'all have a great Sunday and new week, spending time with people you love and doing things that bring you joy. May God meet all your needs and may you have enough to share.

21 comments:

Sam said...

Diane,
How do you make homemade egg noodles? That sounds delicious!

I hope your arthritis doesn't act up too much for you during these rainy days. It would be nice if you could enjoy the coziness of a cold, rainy day without any pain.

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday so we're having a big family dinner for her. Not sure what's on the menu. My sister is cooking, but I'm sure it will be good.

Take care, my friend. I hope all's well. XOXO

Mary said...

Diane,

I'm not sure what's on the menu for Sunday dinner. Since we're having a big meal at Mom's for Thanksgiving on Monday, I may just make up some hamburger and pasta.

You got a great deal on the beef. That is the kind of deals I like. Last week I bought two packages of four chicken thighs with leg attached for $2.00 and made chicken and dumplings, then made the leftovers into chicken soup. It was delicious.

I know what you mean about the crops. Soybeans are still in the fields and so is some wheat. It's just too wet for the farmers to get to them. We had the same summer and fall rains that you've had. The only dry month was August.

Take care and enjoy your long weekend.

Blessings,
Mary

tam said...

I wish we were neighbors, I would just love to hang out with you. I love this time of year also, I feel at my best, I dont know why. Have a great Sunday and I hope you feel great the rest of the week. Tam

kkryno said...

We are having baked bone in ham with a barbeque honey and dijon glaze; green beans with new potatoes and onions, along with corn muffins.

I'll be spending the rest of the week preparing to go see the kids(and the grandbaby!) I can hardly wait!

Have a beautiful Sunday, and a great rest of the week.

Love, Vikki.

moreofhim said...

Oh, Diane. You took me back about 30 or so years to my childhood home and the wonderful beef and noodles my Grandma and Mother used to make. I haven't had that for years!! I forgot all about that delicious meal until you mentioned here. That is SO good!! I'm going to have to put that on my list of things to make this fall/winter!

I know how it feels to do too much and then pay for it later. I'm still trying to find that middle ground. If you find it before me, give me a shout and I'll join ya! ;)

Thank you SO much for your prayers! The encouragement and prayers from a friend mean SO much. You're in my prayers, too, my friend!

Have a very blessed Lord's day and enjoy those beef and noodles! Yum-yum!!!!

Love, Julie

Aunt Jenny said...

WEll, I did have beef pinwheels planned for tomorrow's dinner but now I think we will be having stuffed manicotti. I had planned that for tonight, but we ended up having canned clam chowder instead...got lazy. It was good though. The stuffed manicotti recipe is from the taste of home cookbook I got at the show last month...the kids really want it so I guess it will be that and some broccoli and homemade applesauce since I will be canning apples tomorrow.
have a wonderful week diane!!

Gigi said...

Enjoy your Sunday and your Sunday dinner, Diane!

They say A is for Effort...but B is for Balance!! Try to stop being such an overachiever!! Work toward the "B" and take care of yourself!

I wish you and Lamar a blessed week!

Betty said...

Fall is my favorite time of year. I don't know what I am going to have for dinner today,but I am going to bake up a batch of bread,and I have two acorn squash to bake. so maybe I will do somthing with a chicken to go with them.
~~Hugs ~~

Brenda said...

I'm amazed at how the weather was here this summer too. Unusual to say the least.
We had a layer of ice on the deck last night and it was kinda fun seeing the dog slip and slide while trying to do her business! I know, I have a sick sense of humor.
We're house/pet sitting a 16 year old poodle who sleeps all day. Piece of cake job and the house ain't too bad either. Has a hot tub which is fun.
Get rested up my friend, and have a great week.

Mountain Mama said...

Hi Diane. My surgery will be at 7:30 a.m. on the 19th of this month. They still plan to remove the kidney. I will be glad when its all done and I am feeling good again!
Thanks so much for your prayers. You are so special to remember me.

I didn't make dinner today. My daughter and I her son and four of my great grandkids went south a few miles to a Pumpkin Patch. It was a very fun time for the kids and very tiring for we adults. I went through the corn maze with them and walked through acres of pumpkins so the littlew ones couold find just the right one to take home. There were thousands to choose from. I plan to get pictures up on my blog soon.
This old granny is tried out tonight. We went to I-Hops for a late dinner and I had Maui Chicken. If you haven't had it, it's a chicken, pineapple stirfry with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli and some other stuff I couldn't recognize, with a soy and ginger sauce. Yummy!

Thanks again for your prayers Diane.You are a very special lady.
Hugs!

Dawn said...

We had a simple meal out at Runza today - you've probably never heard of it. I was going to fix something simple because it was just the two of us for a change, but I got lazy and popped for lunch. Felt good.

Belizegial said...

Hi D,

For today's Sunday dinner, I had rice and beans with swedish meatballs and avocado on the side. Nice and uncomplicated. We would like to exchange some of our very hot temps for your cool fall weather.

Keep cozy and warm this week.

Cheers,

Enid

MightyMom said...

ah well, appropriate portions plagues me...which is why I DON'T have appropriate proportions!! haha.

Anonymous said...

Mom cooked us Sunday dinner and she had a pot roast w/(carrots, onions & potatoes) boiled some cabbage and fried us some spinach & eggs with a pumpkin cake w/pecans on top for dessert. It hit the spot and we had very few leftovers. She's amazed that the grandkids eat so much (since most kids are picky these days). After eating we just sit around shooting the breeze and before we knew it we had spent 5 hours doing nothing. Love these type of Sundays with family. Just enjoying each others company and watching the kids play board games, etc.
Maxine
Have a great week.

Judith said...

Diane, Even if I forget the menue. I'd still be glad I visited, just to see that beautiful little girl.

Dick said...

We went to dinner at Jimmy's Pizza & Pasta on Sunday as we were getting ready to drive across the state to Spokane on Monday & didn't want to cook at home.

As to weather, the temps here are running 20+ degrees colder than normal for mid-Oct. Yesterday it was 17 & cooler on Sunday. Today the low has been only about freezing but their norms are more like a high in the mid-60s with lows in the mid-40s. But it is warming up and those rains that California is having are spreading north, due to arrive later today. It will be warmer but also wetter.

Carole Burant said...

I had left over Chinese food on Sunday night...all I had to do was nuke it in the microwave and voila! hehe Last night, though, I made the whole turkey and trimmings dinner for Thanksgiving:-)

I've never had fried cabbage, the only way I've ever had it was boiled in a stew. I love beef and noodles with gravy...now you've made me hungry for it!!!!

I think it's been a weird year weather wise all over...guess what I woke up to this morning? Yup, a white world!! Ugh! Instead of my birthday I thought it was April Fool's Day. lol

Thank you so much for my birthday wishes, you are such a special friend to me! xoxo

TorAa said...

Oh, dear,
sorry I'm late with a compliment to this wonderful dinner.
U Z, We have just celebed my mothers 90 BD and my daughters 32.
We had the seasons Lamb Steak as main dish. Heavenly.

btw. My daughter expects her first child one of these days, so you will sure understand grandpa is at bit --- you know.

Have a great week.

auntpearl said...

Well it is Thursday so I am sure you are already thinking about your next dinner.
Everything you mentioned sounded like whoever was going to be at your house would have an enjoyable time.
Hope everything is okay with you. I so agree about the weather. While I enjoy it....I also get a flare up of my Lupus. Such an awful thing to have...I feel fluish all the time.
Take care.

amelia said...

I'm late getting round to visiting everyone!
We had our Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday which was turkey, brussell sprouts, broccoli and carrots with dill and stuffing and roast potatoes!! All too much. We all slept after.

RennyBA's Terella said...

Like you've said sometimes too; we are two of a kind in many ways - you see, I love this season and the crisp weather too. We've had around 15C in Oslo, Norway lately and the nicest, sunny weather - ohhh the nature is so beautiful and colourful!

You always ask for our Sunday Dinner - well Diane and I have been married for 10 years, so I think I'll have to find something special (any suggestions?)

Btw: I've been working hard to find a way so that we could meet. Now It's official and I've planned hard for it: Oslo Blog Gathering 2010 - I do hope you can come and also encourage your other blog friends to participate!